This is not a sunset over the Cascades.
I am now several thousand miles away from Bend, thanks be to God and Alaska Airlines. The weather is warm and sunny, the ocean is delightful to swim in, the palm trees are swaying in the trade winds, and everything is perfect.
In short, it is pa#a#i#e. I promised myself not to use that hackneyed word, which is why I'm not spelling it out. Let's just say that Hawaii is what Bend pretends to be, but isn't.
And the shittiest day here is better than the best day in Bend.
42 comments:
Nice, what island?
Check out the RE prices while you're there. I was just on Kauai and it was half off peak prices.
It is nice and while I thought I wanted to live there for 3-4 years to learn how to surf well, I think I'm just going to ship a Westy over that and liven on the beach for a couple months at a time. Island fever is an issue...
And more power TO you Sir! Just curious, why take the plunge so soon?
Why not wait until you're pulling hair in clumps and clutching anti-depressants before breaking down and finally forking over for airfare?
Because we've found that September is the nicest time to go to Hawaii. The water is warmest and there are few or no storms.
We're on Maui, same place we've been going for 27 years (but not every year). We are definitely going to look at some real estate.
Speaking of shitty days, I hear it's 57 degrees and drizzling in Bend. Sunny and 73 here in the REAL "paradise."
Blackdog,
Just checking round the region and... we're falling off a cliff. Oct. 2nd looks like the weather equiv. of Dec 21st 2012. Be that in Bend, Boise or Screamattle.
Since all I get is snidely couched 'reminders' "That Summer doesn't 'officially' begin until the 21st of Juuuuune!" I'll now kindly return the favor and point out it doesn't END until the 21st of September.
So please spare us the happy/delusional/cheerleading talk we actually GOT an Indian Summer this year? Let's just nip that in the bud right here, right now. A sparse handful of non-rainy/partially sunny days PAST the 21st of Sept. do NOT constitute a freaking "Indian Summer".
We got screwed again.
The 10-day forecast for Bend looks pretty decent -- sunny and highs in the 70s. I'll take that in October. Portland and valley weather, of course, is more suckalicious.
Portland and valley weather, of course, is more suckalicious.
I was in PDX yesterday and it was raining pretty solid. I think it rained in Bend but by the time I got to the eastern edge of the cascades on 26(around 3pm), there were some clouds in the sky but it was not raining nor could I tell if it did.
I thought about putting a fleece on this morning but I never got past the thinking about it.
Since all I get is snidely couched 'reminders' "That Summer doesn't 'officially' begin until the 21st of Juuuuune!" I'll now kindly return the favor and point out it doesn't END until the 21st of September.
So please spare us the happy/delusional/cheerleading talk we actually GOT an Indian Summer this year? Let's just nip that in the bud right here, right now. A sparse handful of non-rainy/partially sunny days PAST the 21st of Sept. do NOT constitute a freaking "Indian Summer".
We got screwed again.
The only think that's delusional is your thinking that valley weather would be anything but crap. Again, our weather is not your weather. Like your big dog said above, "The 10-day forecast for Bend looks pretty decent -- sunny and highs in the 70s"
I feel your pain but it's Salem, what do you expect? You keep reaching and I'll keep swatting.
Portland and valley weather is, indeed, generally suckier than Bend's -- or at least wetter. But it's been far suckier than usual this year, and I think that's what Marshall is saying. Those poor bastards have had hardly any summer at all.
Why Am I Here At This Blog Guy?,
If a LOW of 39 deg. for the evening of October 2nd is your idea of "pretty decent" have at it. As I noted, be it Bend, Boise or Seattle.
Our... OUR Pacific Northwest weather has collapsed uniformly. The -entire- Region. Swat away.
I'll be in K' Falls the bal. of the week and it looks to be in the low/mid 70's and mostly sunny. Of course they don't count 'either' but the point being, this isn't enough to qualify as an IS. Period.
Whatever happened to trick or treating in shorts?
Bruce,
No, none to speak of. Convergence aside, not one of my contacts around the region reports they "had a summer to DIE for"? It was 71 in L.A yesterday.
By comparison.., nearly the entire COUNTRY got more summer than bargained for and my friend in Austin said they had 18 consec. days of triple digit heat.
My heart is pumping peanut butter for him.
Indeed but it always sucks over there. I make plans on the coast or PDX and it often turns to crap before we actually get there. Such is life in the valley. I expect it, I don't get why he doesn't.
I'm hoping for rain right now to be honest. Buck season starts on Saturday and it's always better after a patch of rough weather rolls through.
DO... try and READ once in awhile? The facts are the facts and neither Bruce nor I have made practice of contorting them.
But Weather-guessers in Portland HAVE for years! So it's never really been a matter of "things turning to cr@p" it's more that their advertisers have lobbied for years to "give their best case scenario for the weekend".
Turnout at the events they'd been plugging for months don't need a cold hard b!tchslap of reality. That in fact things will suck and suck hard. If they can get you to pay the cover, likely you'll stay. Then just like our Unemployment Reports, things 'unexpectedly' took a turn for the worse!
You're persistent if nothing else. Yes, it's no secret west of the Cascades tends to be wetter. HOWEVER.., it was not always expected Summer wouldn't start until Mid-July. Believe it or not, May used to be one of our nicest months. That hasn't been the case since El Ninoy '96.
You've bought into the "Banana Belt" schtick hook, line and sinker. No matter what Boise, Seattle, Bozeman or LA are getting, it will always be 'nicer' in Bend. Just for 'you'!
"HOWEVER.., it was not always expected Summer wouldn't start until Mid-July. Believe it or not, May used to be one of our nicest months."
You're right. May and June, and even April, used to be quite pleasant in Portland and the valley.
You've bought into the "Banana Belt" schtick hook, line and sinker.
I swear man, sober up and pay attention. I'm here for the long winters, not for the summers. I've stated more than a few times. Cold = good 4 me. If winter lasted 9 months, I'd love Bend even more.
Yes, it's no secret west of the Cascades tends to be wetter.
Really?...you're gonna give on that one now? If motivated, I'm sure I can put some ""'s around you saying just the opposite in a previous post.
"Tends"...always wetter, not "Tends"
You're pretty funny though and I often get a good chuckle out of your posts. It's good because my work days are pretty stressful and you often put a smile on my face. I'll see if I can't find a bigger stick to poke you with...I've got some crazy projects coming up and I might need you to go off the deep end to keep that smile on my face.
You're special Salem Guy and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
"If winter lasted 9 months, I'd love Bend even more."
What do you mean, "if"?
It's typically 6 months with variable weather on both sides of winter...you and I both know that. Last year was not the norm...be nice if it was.
You both act like this is something new but in the 20 years I've lived in Oregon, I've skied powder 3 times in July and none of them have been in the last decade. Oregon has been this way for a long time.
Snow on Mt. Bachelor in July isn't very unusual. Temperatures in the 40s and drizzle in Bend in late June IS very unusual.
"Normal" for Bend is three months of summer -- mid-June through mid-September. When I use the term "summer" I mean sunny with highs in the 70s or above.
"Oregon has been this way for a long time."
Yes, it does indeed suck. But over the past seven to 10 years it has gotten suckier. Winters are longer, summers are shorter, springs are colder and wetter. A number of my fellow longtime Bendians concur with me on this.
A number of my fellow longtime Bendians concur with me on this.
Right but unless those 'dissenters' post here, those observations and realities simply don't exist. Many of those very same people have homes they'd love to be able to dump and split. The Truth, just doesn't help their cause.
Yawn, as I've shared previously, the complaining I've heard the loudest lately comes from natives. Think of it this way?
Just in order to simply RETAIN the same old summers we'd come to take for granted ( regardless of side of Cascades ) you'd have to move to Redding, Ca! Before you brand that an extreme take, any parallel less, simply won't deliver.
In order to enjoy Temp's ( not 'tends'? ) that were once quite common in April, you're in the middle of Mineral County, NV.
Having grown up in the heart of Urban Midwestern Rustbelt blight.., I'll s'plain. Blight doesn't occur by a single mass exodus. Those that can't sell ( high end ) and those that can't afford to MOVE ( low end ) are stuck. Everyone else GTFO. It's a slow agonizing process. Stick around, I'm sure you'll find it real 'entertaining' as there simply isn't any fresh meat to fill the void. If you haven't noticed, people aren't exactly 'flocking' to OR as they once did. More moguls for YOU!
No, snow in the cascades in July happens, no doubt about it.
3 months of summer is about right with variable weather on both sides. Sometimes it's warm and sometimes it "sux".
I think weather patterns are changing. By that I mean snow tends to show up later and lasts later into the spring. March and April are always solid powder skiing and often May/June ain't so shabby. But, November/December can be hit or miss the last decade and January has been tragic for a while now. I always tell friends to visit between the middle of Feb and the middle of April. Anything prior can be a crap-shoot. I don't remember it being that way when I was younger but then, a lot of memories aren't consistent with what actually happened.
I still think you reach a little but you've made your point and I've got no beef with that. At least YOU are consistent.
Maui?...you still there or was that you that passed me on 26 the other day in the black car with the turtles on the back?
"March and April are always solid powder skiing"
You sound like you're writing for COVA. True "powder" is not really common on Mt. B -- but many locals seem to treat "powder" as a synonym for "snow."
"You sound like you're writing for COVA. True "powder" is not really common on Mt. B -- but many locals seem to treat "powder" as a synonym for "snow."
Orly?
You'd think after 2K+ days of skiing that I'd have figured what powder was but here I am in my mid 40's and HBM drops the mega bomb...I don't know what powder is after all. I'm feeling like I've been wasting all this time so please, tell me...
WTF is that fluffy white stuff I thought was powder?...do tell!
Popcorn is popping, I can wait for this one.
"Powder" is snow, but not all snow is "powder." "Powder" is very light, dry, fluffy snow -- so light and fluffy that you can almost blow it away with a breath. I may not have skied as much as you have, but I skied Mt. B for more than 10 years and I can remember only four or five legitimate "powder" days. So I have to regard your claim that "March and April are always solid powder skiing" with a bit of skepticism.
I have noticed a tendency among Bendites (increasing in recent years) to use the term "powder" indiscriminately to describe any fresh fall of snow on the mountain. I chalk this up to inveterate Bend boosterism -- the wish to make everybody think that Bachelor offers nothing but one great "powder day" after another. Like so many other Bend boasts, 'tain't necessarily so.
Here is the definition of "powder day" from the Urban Dictionary:
"A day after/during an amazing snowfall in the mountains where the ski area is transformed into a slice of heaven by light, fluffy, deep powder snow."
Note the words "light" and "fluffy."
I experienced a few "powder days" at Mt. B. They were great ... but they were few. Bachelor doesn't get as much "Cascades concrete" as some other Northwest ski venues, but true powder is still relatively uncommon here -- and everywhere, which is what makes it special.
That's hilarious, I'm just gonna let you have that one. I'll think of you while I'm having a blast in the non-powder, powder.
HA! Translation: "I got nothin'."
"but true powder is still relatively uncommon here -- and everywhere, which is what makes it special."
Kind of like The Truth around Oregon. BESIDES... the whole attraction of having moved to Bend was you could ski/indulge in winter recreation without adopting all the trappings common w/ a NE/MW lifestyle.
( See Fargo )
Having to dine al fresco by the glowing ambience of the Costco Patio Heater (TM) in JUNE wasn't supposed to be part of the package.
On an up note, spoke w/ one of the young gals at our Guard unit and she and husband are considering moving to Bend. They're in their 20's, teach and are... essentially bottom-feeding in the RE market as an added bonus.
THESE folks will prove to be Bend's salvation. Young, parents, hard working and aggressively seeking to rebuild post-bust. On honest terms.
The ski-bum appeal worked for the better part of three decades. Time for a change. Embrace it.
I'm not going to deal with that play on words...urban dictionary, please.
I don't need someone to tell me what powder is. "Champagne" as they call it in Utah and Colorado is certainly lighter and drier but you're going to struggle to find many folks who are going to side with you on that argument. Me even defending it seems silly. So ya, I'm gonna let you have that one...
"THESE folks will prove to be Bend's salvation. Young, parents, hard working and aggressively seeking to rebuild post-bust. On honest terms.
The ski-bum appeal worked for the better part of three decades. Time for a change. Embrace it."
These folks will be lucky to find a job if they're teachers. We've got enough teachers to fill several schools that don't exist. Tell them to stay put, this is not a friendly place to new folks unless you can bring a job and/or money with you.
This town will always be a ski bum town. There is nothing else here. It's poverty with a view and probably won't ever amount to much more than a tourist destination.
Not to mention that we're no where near the bottom of our RE mess. They buy a house now, they'll be under water in 6 months.
Lot of young, parenting, hard working, ski bums here in Bend, these people will blend right in at best.
To think that you have any idea about what makes this place tick because you drive through once a month and read a blog. The powers that be will continue to market this place as something it's not but at the end of the day, it's a "beat up pickup truck with a pair of skis and a black lab riding in the bed".
And that's not a bad think in my opinion.
"Lot of young, parenting, hard working, ski bums here in Bend"
The work ethic in Bend is notable mainly for its absence. As one of my clients used to complain, "People come to Bend to play, not to work."
Ski bums (or mountain bike bums or rock climbing bums or trout bums or whatever) are not into hard work; that's why they're called "bums." They do just enough work to buy a season pass, gas for the pickup, food for the black Lab and beer for themselves.
I'll agree with that for the most part. A lot of people tend have the "lifestyle before work" mentality but they're all in the process of getting their asses handed to them. But that is reality here, people blow in and out of town like the wind. Long time locals either have old money, got rich somehow, or bust their asses to stay here. I fall into the last category. But to make the statement that Salem guy made is silly. "Time for a change, embrace it".
Puuulease, this place will be the same ol same in 10 years. I remember the late 80's, early 90's layer of crust that coated this town. We're headed that direction, no doubt about it.
But seriously Salem Guy, warn those kids not to show up without a plan or deep pockets. This place is still in crater mode and they should really stay put unless they have stable employment lined up. It'll send them packing like that kook Bruce that used to post/spray his ego all over BB2.
"Long time locals either have old money, got rich somehow, or bust their asses to stay here."
Or they get lucky and snag one of the few adequately compensated professional positions available here. My wife and I both fell into that category.
What baffles me are the people who move here without having a solid job lined up first. Even I wasn't THAT stupid.
You and your wife fall into the ass buster category...professional or not, you've done something right to keep those jobs and stay here. Well, I do know some shitty professionals so you can put yourself wherever you like.
My job is of the professional category as well but my wages are nothing like I could make in the city. My salary isn't to shabby for CO but I could make a lot more in the city. I do work my ass off for that money, no doubt about it. I'll take the poverty and the view...
and ya, during the boom you could show up and find work but prior to and certainly now, you better have a plan or you'll find yourself living in the bushes before you know it.
It's one thing to be 20 and flipping burgers to pay the rent and buy a ski pass but anyone with a family would be off the back in a hurry trying to show up and wing it.
My wife was the ass-buster; I got by on my magnificent talent.
Re salaries: I hear ya. When I first moved here I made only half what I was paid in Silicon Valley. Of course the cost of living was a lot lower here too.
I meant to append a ;^) to the first sentence above.
That's one nice thing about Bend -- if you're even mediocre you're considered good, and if you're good you're considered a world-beater.
Oy vey...
Unlike the pig in a poke process many of us were forced into during the Carter years, young folks today can make informed decisions. VERY informed as a matter of fact.
Hence the reason for this blog. Balanced, truthful and objective. No cheerleaders need apply. Between the two, this young couple have been to Irag AND Afghanistan ( I think they can handle Bend? ) Advanced degrees, savings, smarts.
A bit conflicted there, on one hand you insist you're "up on the mountain every chance you get!" but on the other describe yourself as nose to the grindstone?
Given your consistent inconsistency, I no longer care which represents the truth.
"A bit conflicted there, on one hand you insist you're "up on the mountain every chance you get!" but on the other describe yourself as nose to the grindstone?
Given your consistent inconsistency, I no longer care which represents the truth."
Your dementia prevents you from putting the pieces together. It's OK, I picked that up a while ago.
I don't get up there nearly as much as I'd like since I started this company. I do go every chance I get which amounts to 50 days a year now that I have a real job and a family to support. If you total up the weekends in a Bend winter, that's about the most I can get. I'd love to be up there 100 days a year but that's just not possible with what I've got going on right now. There were many years that 150+ days were common for me...things change as you get older. Doesn't mean the desire is not there. I work about 60 hours a week, don't even go there kook.
Between the two, this young couple have been to Irag AND Afghanistan ( I think they can handle Bend? ) Advanced degrees, savings, smarts.
Oh right, they're different...just like everyone else. Best of luck to them, anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
Advanced degrees, savings, smarts
they'll be right at home with all the other PHDs waiting tables in Bend.
Right, way to Win Friends & Influence people. Attempt to brand them 'kooks' when they call you out on your convenient and obvious flip-flops.
Just to refresh any readers that may have only recently dropped in: When you first started posting here one could have easily mistaken you for any number of the multitudes of SINGLE 20-something uber-hip ski bums whose only objectives in life were skiing and chasing ski bunnies. They'd post twice, get their tail kicked w/ healthy doses of cold hard reality and split.
When you weren't being taken seriously you morphed into a more 'sensible' adult, with actual responsibilities. ( Go back and re-read your own inaugural first posts for clarification )
Now you're positioning yourself as The Decider in who and who won't cut it in Bend. Further straining your... increasingly shaky 'credibility' is your claim of "working 60 hours a week". Sorry but the only people I know doing that right now are BK attorneys?
I know your type. Most people that are newbies to an area are uncomfortable being behind the learning curve, which you so desperately are. One of the ways in the internet age to get a handle on that dearth is to goad and insult other posters into engaging you to pick their brains for FREE.
As a long time Bubble Blogger we've experienced this time and again. Real estate speculators coming to a bubble blog to get FREE insight and feedback on their various projects for some kind of edge. So done handing out FREE, timely and valuable insight. Learn on your own and PAY for your MBA.
Okay, gentlemen, I'm cutting this thread off. No point in continuing this repetitious argument.
Post a Comment